When in 1879 Prince Alexander Battenberg assigned Todor Burmov to form the first Bulgarian government, the new state was still building its institutions almost from scratch. Burmov did not just take up the post of prime minister. He also took over the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and for a short time also managed the Ministry of Public Education. Thus, the Bulgarian Renaissance teacher and publicist found himself among the people who laid the foundation for state governance after the Liberation.
From the Gabrovo School to Kiev
Todor Stoyanov Burmov was born on January 2, 1834 in Nova Mahala, Gabrovo. As a young man, he received his education at the Kiev Theological School, the Kiev Theological Seminary and the Kiev Theological Academy. Returning to the Bulgarian lands, he worked as a teacher and joined the efforts to renew the educational work.
In Gabrovo, Burmov defended more modern education and insisted that the school be organized in such a way as to prepare students for the new social life. In his own memoirs, he left an account of his early years and the path that took him from the local school to the great political and ecclesiastical disputes of the era.
Publicist in the struggle for church independence
Before becoming a statesman, Burmov was one of the active voices of the Bulgarian Revival. He edited the publications “Counselor“ and “Bulgarian Bookmakers“, and in 1867 published the brochure “Brotherly Explanation of a Bulgarian to His Brothers Bulgarians“. In it, he defends the idea that Bulgarians should defend their church independence and develop education.
„The Bulgarian people must stand in their ancestral faith.“Burmov also corresponded with Russian newspapers, presenting to the Russian public the situation of Bulgarians and the need for an independent Bulgarian church organization. This journalistic work is part of the broader struggle that led to the establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate.
The Man Who Organized the New State
During the Russo-Turkish War, Burmov worked in the team of Prince Vladimir Cherkasky. After the Liberation, he was appointed vice-governor of Plovdiv, and in 1879 he became the first governor of Sofia. The experience he gained in government prepared him for the task of heading the first cabinet.
After his short term as prime minister, he continued to participate in public and political life. He was elected as a member of the people's representative, a member of the Supreme Court of Cassation and the State Council. He twice took over the Ministry of Finance - in 1883 in the cabinet of General Leonid Sobolev and in 1886 for a short time in the second government of Metropolitan Kliment.
After his retirement from active politics, Burmov returned to literary work. In 1902, he published “The Bulgarian-Greek Church Dispute“ - a work related to the topic around which a significant part of his public life had passed. He was also a full member of the Bulgarian Literary Society.
Todor Burmov died on October 25, 1906, old style, or November 7, new style. He was buried in Sofia. He left behind not only the short term of the first Bulgarian prime minister, but also decades of work for the school, church independence, journalism and the building of the institutions of free Bulgaria.
Sources: archives.bnr.bg, bgnes.bg